Unit 1: Nouns Flashcards
What is a concrete noun?
These are things we can see and touch. They can physically affect us.
How would one determine a concrete noun?
Can I touch it?
Is it real?
Does it affect me in some way physically?
Can I see the effects of it in my life?
What is a proper noun?
These are the names or titles we give to people, places and things so that we can easily identify them.
True or False: Proper nouns are usually written with a capital letter?
True:Proper nouns can be the names of places (such as towns, cities or countries), people (including first names, family names or nicknames), books or films (such as The Lord of The Rings, Gladiator or even The Bible), buildings (such as Big Ben, The Eiffel Tower) and parts of the world (such as areas of natural beauty, rivers and mountains). Proper nouns are written with a capital letter, though there are one or two exceptions.
What is an abstract noun?
These are things we cannot see or touch and they cannot physically affect us. Many of these nouns include qualities that we cannot touch. They can affect our lives to a huge extent but they cannot by themselves physically touch us or affect us, such as electricity or the wind during a storm.
Name the three types of abstract noun:
- Nouns that describe qualities, such as:
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I believe in justice and freedom, but not necessarily in the American way.
- Nouns that describe states, such as:
The employment situation in the UK is not so good.
I live in hope that the world will become a better place.
I need at least seven hours sleep every night.
- Nouns that describe events or actions, such as:
I have an examination at 11.00am tomorrow.
The fall of the Roman Empire did not happen overnight.
I will write a reply to your letter later.
Her voice was low, almost a whisper.
What is a group noun?
Nouns are often put together into nice tidy groups and we have names for them, such as:
A flock of sheep
A herd of cows
You may also know them as Collective nouns.
How do regular nouns show the plural form?
By adding -s
Name three ways irregular nouns adapt to take the plural.
Some do not change at all
Some use either s or es at the end
Some change completely.
What is a possessive noun?
When a noun is owned by another noun, we add an apostrophe and an “s” to the first noun to indicate the possessive form. For example:
Mark’s new digital TV is cool.
Martin’s car is pink.
Catherine’s house is huge.
What is a countable noun?
Many nouns can be counted and these are called countable nouns. Generally when we put the word “one”, “a”, “an” or “many” in front of a noun it is countable. For example:
I have one apple in my hand. There are two apples on the table.
There is a desk in my room. There are many desks in the classroom.
There is one CD in my bag. There are many CDs in my house.
What is an uncountable noun?
Some nouns cannot be counted and these are called uncountable nouns. For example:
water (you can’t say one water, two waters)
rice (you can’t say one rice, two rices)
bread (you can’t say one bread, two breads)
True or False: A noun remains uncountable when we quantify it?
True:
When we quantify a noun or put them in a box or a container, the noun remains uncountable. For example:
I’d like a glass of water.
May I have a portion of rice?
Could you cut me a slice of bread?
This recipe calls for two eggs.
Is “eggs” in this sentence countable or uncountable?
Here, the word “eggs” is countable.
The nutritionist suggested that I avoid recipes containing egg.
Is “egg” in this sentence countable or uncountable?
Here, the noun “egg” is uncountable because the word “egg” is used in a non-specific or generic way.
